McLean, Va., and Englewood, Colo., Feb. 22, 2010 — Spacenet Integrated Government Solutions, a division of Spacenet Inc., and EchoStar Satellite Services L.L.C., a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), announced today a collaborative effort to deliver two-way satellite communications involving space and ground equipment to the American Red Cross to aid in relief efforts following the devastating earthquake.
These donations include high speed commercial grade broadband data and digital voice capability using the EchoStar IX satellite located at 121 degrees W.L. In addition, Spacenet is contributing VSAT equipment for two-way communications supporting emergency personnel working in Haiti. The equipment arrived in Port au Prince last week and will support 4 Red Cross relief sites.
“The contribution of communications companies like Spacenet and EchoStar are critical for the ability of the American Red Cross to help the people of Haiti and aid in restoring the infrastructure,” said David Meltzer, senior vice president for International Services at the American Red Cross.
Spacenet’s VSAT systems include small dish antennas and two-way ground stations that are transportable and can be deployed quickly, providing a wireless link completely independent of the local terrestrial infrastructure that was significantly damaged in the earthquake.
“The team at Spacenet has been very moved by the devastating situation in Haiti, and we are pleased to be able to help the relief efforts by providing critical communications services to the area,” said Susan Miller, CEO of Spacenet Integrated Government Solutions. “The communications solutions will help the American Red Cross and its field personnel with their mission to support the people of Haiti. We are thankful for our partners who have been working with us to collectively leverage our resources and expedite services during this critical time.”
“We moved quickly to identify partners and resources that could provide communications rapidly,” said Rick Mortellaro, senior vice president of EchoStar Satellite Services. “Due to Haiti’s proximity to the U.S., we are in a position to provide two-way communications, which is especially important during disaster recovery. The Red Cross can now broadcast emergency channels and information to outlying cities expeditiously.”
About EchoStar
EchoStar Satellite Services L.L.C. is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS) and provides solutions for backhaul, aggregation and distribution of video, audio and data domestically and internationally. EchoStar also offers IPTV solutions through its ViP-TV platform. EchoStar represents a significant source of Ku-band and Ka-band satellite capacity and spacecraft operation services with nine satellites, ground-based teleport facilities, and an expansive terrestrial U.S. backhaul network along with 24-hour Satellite Access Centers. For more information on EchoStar Satellite Services, visit www.echostarsatelliteservices.com or www.echostar.com, contact 866-359-8804 or email EFSS@echostar.com. Relief agencies should contact EchoStar’s Traffic Desk at 888-778-3728.
About Spacenet Integrated Government Solutions
Spacenet Integrated Government Solutions, a division of Spacenet Inc., is focused on delivering network and communications solutions to the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the Intelligence community and other government related agencies. Founded in 1981, Spacenet Inc. is one of the world’s leading providers of high-performance satellite and hybrid terrestrial networking solutions for US based enterprise, government and small office/small business customers. Spacenet has a longstanding tradition of industry leadership and innovation, and today has more than 100,000 operational network endpoints for customers including many Fortune 500 companies and major government agencies. Spacenet’s services include its custom satellite and hybrid network solutions for enterprise and government; Connexstar™ VSAT services for primary, backup and disaster recovery networks; and StarBand® broadband Internet by satellite. Spacenet is based in McLean, Virginia, and operates its own end-to-end services infrastructure including network management, field services and teleport facilities in McLean, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Chicago, Illinois. Spacenet is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (Nasdaq: GILT). Visit Spacenet at www.spacenet.com. For more information about disaster recovery relief efforts, call 800-296-5818 or visit www.spacenet.com/relief-efforts.